Kenya Public Holidays List 2026

What Each Kenyan Public Holiday Means

New Year's Day (1 Jan, Thursday) Marks the start of the new calendar year and is observed across the country.

Idd-ul-Fitr (20 Mar, Friday) Also known as Eid al-Fitr, it marks the end of Ramadan. The date is gazetted by the Interior Cabinet Secretary once the Chief Kadhi confirms the sighting of the Shawwal moon. For 2026 it was gazetted as Friday 20 March.

Good Friday (3 Apr, Friday) A Christian holiday marking the crucifixion of Jesus, and part of the Easter long weekend.

Easter Monday (6 Apr, Monday) The day after Easter Sunday, closing the Easter weekend.

Labour Day (1 May, Friday) Kenya's International Workers' Day, honouring the contribution of workers.

Idd-ul-Azha (27 May, Wednesday) Also known as Eid al-Adha, the festival of sacrifice that coincides with the Hajj pilgrimage. Like Idd-ul-Fitr, its exact date is confirmed by moon sighting and gazetted by the Interior Cabinet Secretary.

Madaraka Day (1 Jun, Monday) Marks the day in 1963 when Kenya attained self-rule and internal self-government from colonial administration.

Mazingira Day (10 Oct, Saturday) A day dedicated to environmental conservation, including tree planting. It was renamed Mazingira Day in 2024, having previously been observed as Utamaduni Day, Huduma Day and originally Moi Day on the same date.

Mashujaa Day (20 Oct, Tuesday) Heroes' Day, formerly Kenyatta Day, honouring the Kenyans who fought and sacrificed for the country's independence.

Jamhuri Day (12 Dec, Saturday) Republic Day, Kenya's main national day, marking independence in 1963 and the country becoming a republic in 1964.

Christmas Day (25 Dec, Friday) The Christian celebration of the birth of Jesus.

Utamaduni Day (26 Dec, Saturday) A day celebrating Kenya's cultural diversity, observed on the day after Christmas, formerly known as Boxing Day.

Note: Kenya works a Monday to Friday week with a Saturday to Sunday weekend. Under the Public Holidays Act, when a holiday falls on a Sunday the following Monday becomes the public holiday, but a holiday that falls on a Saturday does not carry an automatic substitute. In 2026 that matters: Mazingira Day (10 October), Jamhuri Day (12 December) and Utamaduni Day (26 December) all fall on a Saturday, so most Monday to Friday staff lose those three.

How Kenyan Holidays Impact Payroll and Leave Management?

Kenya's list looks fixed, but two things keep it moving. The Muslim holidays, Idd-ul-Fitr and Idd-ul-Azha, are gazetted by the Interior Cabinet Secretary only once the Chief Kadhi confirms the moon, so they can shift a day from any printed calendar, and in 2026 Idd-ul-Fitr landed on Friday 20 March. The same Cabinet Secretary can also call a one-off public holiday with little notice, as happened in 2025 for a state funeral, which hits payroll with no warning. The fixed national days bring their own quirk this year, because Mazingira Day, Jamhuri Day and Utamaduni Day all fall on a Saturday and Kenya only moves a holiday when it lands on a Sunday, so most Monday to Friday staff simply lose those three. Anyone rostered to work a public holiday is owed premium pay under the Employment Act, so the difference between a Saturday holiday, a gazetted Idd and an ordinary day has to show up correctly in pay. Tracking all of that by hand across attendance and leave is where mistakes start, which is why most teams let a system apply each gazette notice and the weekend rules automatically.